The Texas Capitol Vietnam Heroes Exhibit and The 3417 Project
Dog tags are an important part of the history of the Vietnam war, but they only tell a part of the story.
There is much more to know about those who fought in the Vietnam War, including the thousands of Texans among them, many of whom lost their lives during the conflict.
A two-part living history exhibit, monuments and displays by the 3417 Project exist today in commemoration of those brave Texans who served our country, some of them making the ultimate sacrifice.
The 3417 Project
The 3417 Project is a tribute to Texan soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war.
Created by the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Committee, the memorial project includes two living history exhibits about Texas Vietnam heroes:
- The Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit
- The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument
The Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit
The Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit consists of a tribute display of authentic replicas of Vietnam dog tags.
Each of the duplicate sets of 3,417 dog tags, for which the 3417 Project was named, is marked with the names, rank, service branch, date of loss, and hometown of the deceased or missing-in-action serviceman and was embossed on the exact machine that produced the original dog tags.
Of the two copies, one hangs permanently on display in the Museum while the other is entombed in the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument.
The exhibit arrived at its permanent home in College Station Texas at the Museum of the American G.I. on Feb. 28, 2015.
It was permanently displayed in the on-site Museum building after a motorcycle guard escorted the exhibit 3,000 miles throughout the state of Texas where it was displayed at multiple historic military sites and buildings.
The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument
Dedicated on March 29, 2014, the Texas Capitol Vietnam Heroes Monument depicts the infamous “Dawn Patrol” pose of five infantry during the Vietnam war.
Displayed at the Texas Capitol building in Austin, the monument commemorates not just the Texans who served the state and country in our military services, but also the cultural diversity of our amazing state.
Among the five figures on the monument are a Caucasian, an African-American, an Hispanic-American, a Native-American, and an Asian-American soldier, collectively displaying the many ethnicities that create what is one of the most culturally-rich states in the country.
Designed by artist Duke Sundt of New Mexico, the monument features 1.25 scale soldier figures depicted post-battle, their backs to each other, functioning as a collective unit to protect each other.
On the base of the monument is a plaque dedicating the monument to the 3,417 Texas military lives lost and missing in Vietnam.
Within the base, a replica dog tag bearing the name and information of each lost soldier is entombed while its identical mate hangs at the Museum of the American G.I. as part of the Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit.
A smaller, scale replica of the monument is also on display at the Museum with the dog tags exhibit.
Honor Fallen Texans With The 3417 Project
For those who have lost loved ones in the Vietnam War or anyone interested in our country’s military history, the two living history exhibits presented by the 3417 Project should not be missed.
Visit the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument at the state Capitol building in Austin and be sure to see the Texas Vietnam Heroes exhibit at the Museum of the American G.I. in College Station!
Both living history exhibits about Texas Vietnam heroes offer an informative and emotional appreciation of the Texans who served, those who lost their lives, those who are missing in action, and the amazing cultural camaraderie that the state of Texas represents.
